


Can't Run

by JustAndrea



Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, also acts as a sort of epilogue for the S2 finale, friendship fluff, takes place during AND after 'The End of the Galaxy'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 01:32:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9411485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: “Where has this guy been all season?! …Of our lives.”





	

It was too late… They had waited too long.

…No. _He_ had waited too long.

After the Frostonium incident and the surprisingly effective pep talk/song his loyal commander had given him, he had been so determined to defeat Dominator and save the Galaxy once and for all, no matter how scared he was! 

…Though despite said determination, once they went into hiding and it became more than obvious that Peepers wasn’t going to have any sort of plan for a while, it became much too easy to just focus on smaller goals for the time being. Goals that he knew didn’t matter, but still non-lethal goals that lead to small victories nonetheless.

After that came Captain Tim’s disappearance, which had been a huge distraction, though he definitely didn’t regret taking time out to go look for him. He couldn’t be without his Tim-Tim, after all! And then, of course, after that was the _disaster_ known as Robomochachocolatte or whatever the grop it was called. It was hard to believe that such a cool robo-weapon could have turned out to be such a lame let-down…

They’d had other plans, ranging from pretty possible to one-in-a-billion-chance-this-will-actually-work, though none of them ever seemed to make it past the blueprints or drawing boards. Even Peepers’ mind was a total blank, though he still insisted that they keep trying, all the way up to the exact moment when the Watchdog grunt had given the dreaded announcement, and all of the commander’s metaphorical plans finally came crashing down.

And so, there they were, watching the end finally come. 

“Don’t. Don’t! Don’t you do it, Binglebop! Don’t you dare fall to Dominator!” Hater clenched his hands together, making sure to at least keep himself together while Peepers continued to plead with the screen. “No.” The drill started to rev up. “No!” A slight pause, and-

 _ ***BOOM!***_  

“NOOOOOOO!” He screamed, falling to his knees. “She did it! Dominator destroyed every single planet in the flarpin’ galaxy! There’s nothing left to conquer!” 

No one else at the table seemed as devastated, simply because by this point, the destruction of their Galaxy seemed like an inevitability than a possibility. They knew they were going to fail… But that didn’t stop them from looking at their lord once Peepers finally turned around, and asked the question they were all thinking:

“What are we gonna do now, Sir?”

Hater just stared back. All eyes were on him (literally) and yet he couldn’t think of anything to say. He could’ve yelled, screamed, complained, mourned, maybe even try to offer some sort of pep talk. That was what lords were supposed to do, right? Cheer their men up after a failure? But none of those things happened, in fact it felt like any words he might have had couldn’t even reach his throat, let alone be said.

And so, he simply walked away, not even looking back at the tiny “Sir?” Peepers gave.

 _What was he supposed to do_ …? Despite remaining silent though, Hater couldn’t help but scowl as he trudged down the long, empty hallway of the Skullship. His hood hung low over his eyes, and as much as part of him wanted to destroy or zap or even just punch something out of frustration, his skeletal hands hung open and loose by his sides.  _What was he supposed to do_ … _What was he supposed to do?!_

He should have been able to stop her! He was the Greatest in the Galaxy, for crying out loud! …And, even if he knew deep down that he wasn’t really the Greatest, he still had the powers and the resources to do something! _Anything! **He should have done something! WHY DIDN’T HE DO SOMETHING?!**_

…Because he had been afraid. Even with all his determination and bragging and longing for redemption, he had been afraid from the start. 

Dominator was strong, deadly, merciless - and he could finally see it clearly without being blinded by anger or a dumb crush (though a part of him did still think she was sorta pretty, just a little). And he had been afraid… Not just of being killed, but of completely and utterly failing. Of finally being proven that he hadn’t just lost his title of the Greatest, but was now the absolute _worst_.

That was why he let Peepers take care of all the planning. That was why despite wanting to try and fight, he mostly only followed instead of led. …But now he didn’t even have anyone to follow. Even Peepers had completely given up hope now, and it was all over. 

It was all over… and it was all his fault. 

His fault… His failure…

Hater clenched his teeth, his hands finally forming fists that buzzed with angry electricity. …No, not anger. **Determination.**  

Was he really going to let Dominator win?! Okay, maybe she had destroyed everything, but just because she had reached her goal didn’t mean he couldn’t still meet his! He could still defeat her! He could still win!

…The only question, of course, was how. “There has to be something,” he mumbled to himself, his feet picking up the pace, “Something we’re missing…” For a moment, he raised his hand without even thinking and started to activate his glove-phone, but stopped and hung up before the dial tone could even start. Sure, there was no denying that Peepers was a great commander and planner, but he had to stop completely relying on him. 

“It’s not as if he’s in any state to help anyway,” Hater added, his tone a mixture of annoyance and guilt. No, he would have to at least do this part on his own…

The Skullship library wasn’t really a room that was used very much. If anything, the only time it was used was either when Peepers wanted to read something for himself or when the Watchdogs wanted to use the big-screened computer in there for some game. Hater himself had never really gone in there, but he was sure glad they had it now. 

“Okay,” he muttered, taking a seat and turning on the computer, “I’ve just gotta think…” As soon as the machine finished booting up, he went into a search engine and started typing up various questions, asking about destructive weapons and possible weaknesses for lava and ice. 

Of course, nothing of any real use came up. There were plenty of ways to melt ice, but nothing could really stop lava or Volcanium. His electric magic could maybe do it, but that had a limit… He could always go with the classic ‘fight fire with fire’ plan, but where would they be able to find any Volcanium now?! Besides, he briefly remembered Peepers mentioning something about a similar plan a while back before concluding that it would simply be too risky, just because there was a chance that Dominator could somehow gain control of their Volcanium as well.

Any weapons, while still having the possibility of slowing her ship or her drill down (or at the very least acting as a distraction), also seemed like a lost cause. Knowing Dominator, she would know just how to take them out. 

“Ughhhh, not only is she strong and powerful, but WHY does she have to be so crafty and smart too?! Seriously, she’s about as bad as Wan-!” He stopped.

Wander… Where the heck was Wander anyway?! 

Hater knew he escaped from Dominator’s ship, and he also felt like he would have heard something from Sylvia or even Dominator herself if he had been captured or killed. “And there’s no way he’d just leave the Galaxy…” Not when people were still in danger, and certainly not if he thought that he could still help Dominator somehow. “So where…?”

And at that moment, it hit him like a ton of asteroids. 

“Wait… Wander has to be with people so he can help them-” Ugh, so gross- “But he can’t leave the Galaxy either. He can’t just walk around in an orbubble all the time, he’d be killed in an instant, even with the Zbornak’s speed! No, he needs somewhere to hide… Somewhere that doesn’t just hide him, but Sylvia and anyone else he wants to help or protect.” Wander needed some sort of shelter, otherwise he would just be out in the open, hence a lot easier to find and/or run into (just like he tended to do every other week it seemed like).

“Then that means…” His neon-green eyes widened. “That means there has to be one planet left still alive!” Maybe it was a long shot, but it was still possible! There were dwarf planets out there, after all! Even some moons could be counted as planets if they had the ability to sustain life! And maybe Dominator missed one of these tiny planets or moons or whatever and Wander found it instead! One last planet… Tiny and probably not very useful but still a planet!

There was still something out there to claim, to protect! Something they could use as a base, and gather resources from or use as a distraction or, or something! “Okay, maybe it’s not a complete plan but still!” Hater told himself, unable to help but be excited, “There’s still one planet left!” 

However, just as he was about to start doing a victory dance, another thought crashed through the forefront of Hater’s mind and brought his mood down with it: He had no idea where this hidden planet was. Heck, there was still a chance he was just grasping at straws and there really _wasn’t_ one last planet out there.

“…Great…” He sat back down, slumping in his desk chair, “Just great…” If there really was one last planet out there, just how was he going to find it if even Dominator couldn’t find it? 

“…” Scowling, he sat up - and went back to typing. 

 _I can’t just give up…_   **“Mostly unknown planets”** _I can’t run…_   **“how to find unknown planets”** _I won’t run!_

Like before, the results didn’t provide much, but Hater still read through them anyway. When his eyes got tired, he grabbed his glasses, gave himself a couple of sharp wake-up zaps, and just continued reading. Eventually, his eyes caught a single pair of words: ‘ **Gravity Wells’.**

Like turning a secret key to a locked door, something from the back of Hater’s mind suddenly came spilling forward. The details were hazy - in fact, the skeletal lord couldn’t even really remember where he had learned about it! But the information was there, buried in his brain… He just had to relearn a bit of it.

And indeed, as he continued reading and researching the possibilities of gravity wells and the thermodynamics of planets, the information started coming back in full force. Some of the more complicated terms and formulas still took a bit of time to figure out, but he still pushed forward and tried to understand it the best he could. After several minutes, trying became knowing, and he quickly moved on. Honestly, it was as if he had known this stuff his whole life.

He didn’t dwell on that too much though, he was just glad to see himself actually succeeding somewhat again! When he had finally finished going through it all, Hater let out a long sigh. “Okay… Now to get to the _real_ work.” Within seconds, he teleported himself to one of their more powerful computers - one that was connected to their radar and maps systems - and continued typing.

The numbers and letters in each formula just seemed to come to him naturally, and even when he had to think about something for a bit, Hater didn’t let himself get flustered. He just kept working on it, growling and mumbling under his breath as he searched and thought and worked harder than he had in a long time. He could do this… He could do this! 

…And finally, he did do it. 

His hands were still, his mind was silent in awe, and his eyes were wide as he stared at a picture of one of the tiniest planets he had ever seen. “A Class D planetoid… Minimal gravitational pull, which means it can’t be detected by simple scanning, but still has the ability to create oxygen as well as sustain life. Probably has a small amount of Volcanium too…”

 _This_ was the last planet. Puny, undeveloped, practically invisible to the universe… but it was still a planet, and it would be where he would fight with all his strength, possible failures and destruction be darned! 

With that, Hater stood up and began walking towards his stage, telling any Watchdog he passed to spread the word about a mandatory emergency meeting for all soldiers that would be happening as soon as possible. “There’s still one last plan we have to try,” he would tell them, glaring at them just enough to let them know that he was serious. He would make sure they would all be ready, including himself, and he would not let this planet fall!

This was their last stand - _his_ last stand - and he was going to make it count!

()()()()()()()()()()

Even if the latter half of it ended up being yet another chase after Wander and Sylvia, Peepers could still easily call it a very good day.

Not only had Lord Hater actually managed to save the final planet and defeat Dominator, but as it turns out, perhaps their galaxy wasn’t so doomed after all! Planets were coming back to life, reforming and regrowing into new planets that they could eventually rule over! …Honestly, if Peepers hadn’t seen it with his own eye, he would have never believed it. 

But it was true. The Galaxy was coming back to life, and the Hater Empire was still in business! …And speaking of Hater, he hadn’t forgotten who he owed their surprise happy ending to…

 ***Knock knock knock!***   _“Come in!”_

The door slid up, and Peepers walked inside. Hater was lying in his bed, relaxing with a container of ice cream in his hand and Captain Tim purring by his side. But for once, Peepers couldn’t really get mad at his lord for being lazy - certainly not after all the energy he had used earlier in the day with his massive force field, and that wasn’t even mentioning all the other work he did…

“Oh, hey Peepers,” Hater greeted with a small nod. The victory had definitely put him in a good mood. Not exactly a celebratory mood, just a sort of quiet pride or sense of contentment. Though Peepers still knew not to dawdle too much and risk ruining his mood (which was, unfortunately, far too easy to do at times). So, he quickly stepped forward.

“Good evening to you as well, Sir,” the commander nodded back at him, “I just wanted to… well, to check up on you. And, um, maybe just speak to you for a moment, as well?”

“Huh?” The skeletal lord sat up a bit, raising an eyebrow. “About what?”

“Well… Maybe- Not exactly talk but, I suppose more like congratulate you…” He hadn’t exactly come into this with a big speech, but even while feeling a bit flustered from stumbling over his words, he still refused to look away from Hater and kept his gaze on him strong.

“What you did today, Sir… It was just  _incredible_. You were so brave, and strong! And-! …And honestly, I nearly forgot just how strong and skillful you can be when you’re truly determined,” he admitted sheepishly, “We had all given up any hope of defeating her. …I believed that we couldn’t defeat her. But you, you still believed. You were still willing to fight, and you _won!_ ” Sure, it was just barely but still, a victory was a victory! “You fought and won for the Empire and… and I just had to say thank you, Sir.”

With his piece finally said out loud, Peepers watched for a reaction. But for the longest time, Hater didn’t say anything. He could only stare in shock. …It actually sorta felt like a repeat of what happened earlier that day.

Finally though, Hater did start to reply. “Well, I… I don’t really know what to say. I mean… Grop, it’s not that big of a deal. But uh, you’re welcome, I guess.”

Peepers’ eyelid dropped as he gaped at his lord. …Okay, that was the last straw. Who was this guy and what had he done with the REAL Lord Hater?!

“Not a big-? Sir! If there’s any time to be bragging about your victories, _this_ would be it! You were the one who didn’t give up! You were the one who decided to focus and stand your ground! You found the hidden planet! You-!”

“I also nearly lost!” Hater shot back, shocking the commander into a stunned silence. 

For a moment, Peepers was the one who stared while Hater just looked down into his ice cream. “I nearly lost the shield, remember? Sure, you guys helped me keep it up in the end, but-” But he wasn’t stupid. He had won, but he had also nearly lost. “…And, and if I had been more ‘incredible’ sooner than later, maybe we would have defeated her earlier…”

“Sir…?” Willing to take a chance by being near the arachnomorph, Peepers stepped forward and hopped onto Hater’s bed. Sighing a bit, Hater tossed his mostly empty container to the floor before looking back at Peepers.

“…I mean, if you hadn’t given up, there’s a chance I never would have stepped up,” Hater finally admitted, frowning deeply, “And… Of course I wanted to defeat her and save the Galaxy! More than anything, even more than conquering the actual Galaxy! …But even though I wanted to, I didn’t think I could. Or, maybe I could, if I was lucky and strong enough, but… but it would be your plan that would help me do it. You’re the plan guy, after all.”

Had it not been for the solemn mood, Peepers would have been thrilled at the compliment. For the moment though, he just made a note to be happy about it later, and instead leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on Hater’s wrist.

“Yes well… These last couple months should have proven that I can fail at the duties that come with my title too.” …If that was how Hater really felt, then no wonder it had been so hard to get him to focus on coming up with a Defeat-Dominator plan. “Even the best can’t succeed one hundred percent of the time, I suppose, no matter how much they may want or need to.”

“Hmph, well I’m still the guy in charge. The ‘Greatest in the Galaxy’, and I almost lost…” He paused, clenching his fists slightly. “But, when I saw you and all the other Watchdogs giving up, I just… didn’t want to anymore. I couldn’t.”

Peepers gave a light smile. “Just what I’d expect from the Greatest, honestly…”

“…” Hater glanced away, mumbling a “Shut up”, though there wasn’t a hint of venom behind it. Peepers held back his smile as he moved his hand away, though he didn’t hop down from the bed.

“…I don’t mind being the ‘plan guy’, you know,” he said after a few moments, quickly regaining his lord’s attention.

“Wait, you don’t?”

“Nope.” Though it was certainly frustrating at times, but even so- “It’s nice to actually do things that make it seem like my Commander title means something, and it isn’t just ‘grunt with more chores’.”

“Huh…” Hater said simply. He supposed it wasn’t too much of a surprise, considering how much Peepers worked himself, wanting to make sure everything was perfect and always looking so full of excitement and self-accomplishment whenever he presented a plan that he was truly proud of. Hater hadn’t seem him look like that in a long time…

“…Well, you can still be the plan guy, if you want,” the skeleton said finally, causing Peepers’ smile to grow a bit, “We still need one if we want to conquer this new Galaxy. And I’ll still be in charge, of course. Make sure everyone knows how great I am, boss the other Watchdogs around, all that stuff. But, I … I, uh, could probably help you out with some of them too I guess, just to make sure you don’t get burnt out or anything.”

“…And I would happily accept your help, Sir,” Peepers nodded, his eye now shimmering with both happiness and appreciation, though he thankfully managed to hold back any tears. He didn’t expect him to help all the time - after all, he was still Hater, which meant that he would still have his moments of distraction and laziness most likely - but still, the thought itself meant a lot to the little commander.

“Good, good to know… And, could we still use the holograms and, uh, the ‘strategic figurines’ to lay out some of the plans?”

Peepers rolled his eye, but his smile remained. “Of course, Sir.”

“Hmph, good,” Hater smiled back. 

There was a bit of silence between the two of them. Tim woke up slightly and stretched while Hater cooed over him, and Peepers just sat and relax, trying to resist from yawning. Still, it had admittedly been a long day, and with all the Dominator stuff getting more and more intense, he hadn’t gotten a truly good night’s sleep in months.

Still, before he could begin the long and grueling journey to his bed, there was still one more thing he just had to mention…

“You know, Sir,” he started to say, causing Hater to look up. Captain Tim gave a growl, but settled when he felt his master’s hand gently hold him back from tackling the commander.

“Yeah?” he asked curiously.

“Well, Sir… Even if you were discouraged at times, you still refused to give up in the end, even when all of us were ready to. That’s what really mattered, and… I believe that that’s what I admire the most about you, Sir.” After all, strength was relative and could be gained or lost, and powers were only as good as the skills of the person using them. 

But determination - even the kind of determination that was sometimes problematic when it was focused on the wrong thing - _that_ was something you couldn’t learn or force.

“…Hmph,” Hater smiled a bit, trying not to look too touched by the Watchdog’s words, “Yeah well, thanks I guess… I mean, come on. What do I always say, Peepers?”

Peepers thought for a moment. “…Number one superstar?”

“…Okay, what I say _almost_ all the time.” His smile became a bit of a smirk as he proudly quoted himself. “You can’t run if you want to be number one.”

“…” Slowly, Peepers smiled back at him. “Well said, Sir. Well said.”

**THE END**


End file.
